Description

If you're on a gap year, summer placement, or career break and want to get your hands dirty, our Community Building project in Ghana may be right for you.

Volunteers are based in the Akuapem Hills, just over an hour north of Accra. You will join a team of Projects Abroad volunteers and local people constructing and renovating simple buildings in the local communities.

In many areas of Ghana, thousands of families live in inadequate accommodation and children attend school in crumbling buildings. Our construction project allows them to move to new, better quality homes and for the children to receive an education in secure, new classrooms.

The buildings are usually made from mud bricks that are produced by using a press, some mud and water, and then left to harden in the sun. Volunteers help in this process and also with building walls, plastering, and painting. Each building takes an average of one month to construct.

In addition to the basic project, you may also help with landscaping the surrounding area, painting local schools, and renovating classrooms. In the past, volunteers even built a library for Kwamoso village school.

Highlights

This is a great opportunity to get involved in a rural project and become an integral part of the local community. Our full time regional coordinators live nearby and visit the placements regularly, so you'll always have full support from Projects Abroad.

Building work takes place early in the morning and late in the afternoon to avoid the hot midday sun, so you'll have plenty of time to get involved in Ghanaian life. Many volunteers immerse themselves in the local community by helping around the kindergarten class or playing soccer with some of the school children once the building work has finished for the day.

Qualifications

none

Intern Types

• Social Work

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

Please go to our website for prices.

Cost Includes:

• Emergency evacuation services
• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Medical insurance
• Medical services
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

Open-minded with a willingness to travel.

Age Range

16 and up

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups of 2-5

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Typically The Application Process Time is

10 days

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement

As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded

1992